Ice Works

This body of work began in April of 2020 at the start of the pandemic. While I sheltered in place with my family I found myself reflecting not only on self-care but also on the roles and responsibilities of how we tend to each-other, our shared communities and our shared humanity.

In my kitchen while I prepared food for my family I began to explore creating ephemeral sculptural objects. As artists, we can problem solve and remain creative even in times of crisis, with little to nothing on hand. The science of ice, food coloring and my freezer became my artistic tools and my kitchen a photo studio. I used decaying leftovers from flower bouquets bought to brighten our domestic space. My children and I also began foraging in our neighborhood as a way of thinking about place and sustainability.

This is series is new work for me, but tied to my identity as artist-researcher-mother-teacher. Creating these works and sharing them has become part of my daily practice of living. The work investigates domesticity and physical change on a metaphoric and visceral level: decorative glassware designed for celebration, a world frozen, loss, the fleeting existence of fragile cut flowers, grief and the passing of time are all embedded in the eye-candy of these sculptural still-life photographs.